Roots
by RosesandThorns666
Summary: AU. When Castiel Novak walks in on his boyfriend Michael in bed with another man, he decides to leave New York and head back to Lawrence, Kansas to stay with his parents. However, he doesn't expect to run into Dean Winchester, his childhood sweetheart, and he certainly doesn't expect anything to come of their reunion. Please R&R! M for language and content.


**Summary: **AU. When Castiel Novak walks in on his boyfriend Michael in bed with another man, he decides to leave New York and head back to Lawrence, Kansas to stay with his parents. However, he doesn't expect to run into Dean Winchester, his childhood sweetheart, and he certainly doesn't expect anything to come of their reunion. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters.

**A/N: **Have no fear! This fic is planned from beginning to end! It should be written and completed in very little time. I'm trying to gear myself up to start the next in the _Paths_ series too, so I have lots going on. I really, really hope you enjoy this, and thank you for taking the time to read it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

**Roots**

**Chapter One**

Castiel Novak, to say he was just twenty-five years old, hadn't done too bad in his career.

After three years at college he'd spent four years as an interior designer with his own business, and he was rich enough to go and buy a mansion if he wanted. But he was happy with his two bedroomed apartment and dark red '69 Mustang. To be honest, Castiel's life was brilliant at that time. He had a boyfriend, Michael Milton, who was gorgeous, and strong, and tentative. Michael was there for Castiel from the moment he moved to New York, and after six months they were living together. Three and a half years of happiness. Castiel smiled almost giddily as he entered the apartment building, and after a long elevator ride he finally reached the nineteenth floor of their building. He hated being so high up. Vertigo wasn't something he'd grown out of. He opened the apartment door, finding wine glasses on the table and hearing the sound of romantic music playing softly through the living area of the apartment. He grinned dreamily. Michael must've been planning something special.

But the muffled noises coming from the bedroom made Castiel curious, and he slowly but surely approached the bedroom door, feeling more worried with every step he took. Pushing the bedroom door open slowly, he was met with a sight he never wanted to see again. Michael was under the sheets, fucking the brains out of another guy. Obviously, the two were completely oblivious to the fact that Castiel was there, so in his upset and anger, he kicked the bedroom door shut so hard that the slamming sound it made could've been heard streets away.

"Shit!" Michael cursed as he jumped off the guy and covered them up, "Cas...Babe, you're home early..."

"No, I'm home when I said I would be." Castiel snarled, looking to the blonde in bed with his boyfriend, "I think you'd better leave, don't you?"

Clearly embarrassed, the guy covered himself up and left the bedroom while Castiel crossed his arms, unable to stop the look of anguish that clouded his face as he stared at his boyfriend of three and a half years. His boyfriend who he'd just been thinking the world of until he just caught him doing...well...someone else.

"Three and half years I give to you." Castiel said, trying to hold back his emotion, "Am I not good enough all of a sudden? Because you weren't complaining last night."

"Cas..." Michael began, being cut off when a tear fell down his boyfriend's face.

"How long?" Castiel asked.

He had to know. He needed to, or it would burn a hole in him forever. He had to know the whole truth or he'd never rest. He'd put all of his trust and love into Michael. He'd shown him so much respect and had supported him constantly for all that time, and this is how he was treated in return? He needed to know what was going on in Michael's head. And soon.

"Babe..."

"I said, how long?" Castiel repeated in his dark tone, "Tell me the truth."

He was shaking so much with upset and anger. He actually thought he was going to be sick. Because of all the things that Michael could be, Castiel never believed he could be a cheater. He couldn't possibly stay with the older man now, not after this. This just crossed the line so, so far, and Castiel wasn't willing to be walked all over.

"Three weeks..." Michael replied, "I swear, that's as long as it's been."

"Is he better than me? Is that why?" Castiel asked, "What have I done to drive you to someone else?"

"It's not you...It's..." Michael said quietly, jumping as Castiel shouted.

"Don't!" The younger man yelled, his voice straining with the emotion building inside him, "Don't you dare give me the _It's not you, it's me_ speech! What the fuck is wrong with you? I've given everything I can to us, to you, and this is what you give to me? You jump into bed with another man?"

"I'm sorry..." Michael breathed, "I'm really sorry..."

"Not good enough." Castiel snapped, "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, and I'm leaving in the morning. You want someone else? You can have them."

Michael's dark eyes widened. He ran a hand through his almost black hair and began to shake his head frantically, looking to his boyfriend pleadingly. Castiel wasn't going to forgive him anyway so all of the protesting wasn't going to make the slightest bit of difference.

"Don't leave me, Cas..."

"You can't want me that much, Michael..." Castiel began as a sob escaped his lips, "Or you wouldn't have bedded someone else."

The thing was that Michael never took Castiel seriously when he was angry, so he thought that in the morning they'd be able to talk and work things out. He did love Castiel. Now he came to think about it, he didn't even know why he'd cheated. Castiel was the best boyfriend he'd ever had. Doting, loving, beautiful, bright, funny, cute, smart...All the things he wanted.

"Look, I'll take the couch..." He began quietly, "You can have the bed."

Castiel huffed and wiped his eyes, shaking his head and looking at Michael as if he were absolutely insane.

"Do you really think I'm gonna want to sleep in there after what you've been doing in it?" He asked, "Get real."

Opening the bedroom door, he found the other man wrapped in the spare sheet, looking guilty as sin and completely embarrassed. Leaning against the wall, Castiel looked him up and down, glaring at him while Michael slipped on his boxers and walked towards the door.

"I suppose he didn't know about me." Castiel said, looking to his lover.

"He...He did." Michael admitted, bowing his head in shame.

There was no point hiding the truth now. The secret was out and, to be honest, it was only fair that Castiel knew everything. Michael should've found a way to tell him without him finding out the way he had, but the older man wasn't sure of what he wanted or who he wanted. He wasn't sure about much anymore.

"Get your clothes on." Castiel snapped at the other man, drawing Michael out of his thoughts, "And get out, before I throw you off the balcony. You have one minute, and I'm counting."

Michael moved out of the way to let his other lover through, looking at him with sorry eyes.

"Luc..." He breathed, watching Castiel march into the kitchen, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean for it to turn out like this."

"Save it." Luc snapped, throwing on his shirt, "You should've told him from the start. You said you'd stopped sleeping with him."

"He's been my boyfriend for three and a half years. If I suddenly stopped making love to him it would've aroused suspicion." Michael sighed, watching Luc get dressed, "I wanted to be fair and tell him at the right time, you know?"

"It would've been fairer if you'd split up with him. At least you wouldn't have been two-timing anyone." Luc said quietly as he zipped up his jeans and then slipped on his shoes, "Don't call me. Don't come and see me. I'm done with you."

"Luc..."

"Goodbye, Michael." Luc snapped, walking out into the kitchen where Castiel stood with thick tears streaming down his face, "I'm sorry, Castiel."

With that, he walked out of their lives forever, leaving them both standing there, staring at each other. Michael approached Castiel carefully, reaching out to wipe his tears away only for Castiel to look sickened at the touch before slapping away his hand. He couldn't bear to be within an inch of Michael at that point. His world had just been turned upside down.

* * *

The following morning, Castiel called his assistant, Rachel Adler to tell her he was taking some time off, so therefore if she wanted to go and finish anything at the office, she could and then she could have the rest of the time off until he got back, fully paid. Of course, she was thrilled, but Castiel packed his bags in full view of a very upset and shocked Michael, and loaded everything he had into his car.

Michael, eventually, helped him move everything because it would take several trips in the elevator otherwise and he knew how much Castiel hated the elevator. The whole time Michael was begging Castiel not to go, and Castiel was telling him that no matter what, he was leaving because he wasn't willing to be walked over.

When the uncomfortable situation was done with, Castiel turned to Michael who gave him one final kiss goodbye, which made Castiel's stomach knot with anxiety, upset, love and a whole other string of emotions. Of course, the first few hours of his near twenty-one hour drive were painful. He'd called his parents, Anna and Zachariah, to let him know he was on his way home. Of course, they were thrilled to hear that he was coming to stay with them, but they were sad to hear the news about Michael. Castiel knew that the journey couldn't be done all at once, so after fifteen hours of driving with only a couple of breaks in between, he pulled up at a motel and spent the night there, getting as much rest as he could for the next morning.

At seven, he began the final six hours of his journey, arriving home at one in the afternoon. Lawrence, Kansas hadn't changed much since he left it four years before. Everything was practically the same, except a few of the stores had upgraded and become more modern. His parents' house wasn't any different. Except there was a gorgeous red roadster sat in the driveway. Probably his mother's.

Anna had been totally over the moon when he'd come out to his parents at the age of fourteen. Zachariah had taken a while to get used to the idea, however he didn't treat Castiel any differently. The safe sex talk was a whole different ball game, though. It had been uncomfortable, but Zachariah knew that it was his and Anna's duty as Castiel's parents to talk to him about things like that and educate him, no matter how uncomfortable it was, so he'd persisted and in the end, Castiel was grateful that his father had taken the time to talk about it with him.

And as Castiel parked his car just outside the house, he saw his mother standing on the porch, grinning widely at him. She hurried down the steps, and as he got out of his car he was swept into her arms, kissed and hugged like she'd not seen him for a hundred years. She'd only seen him a few months ago when she and Zachariah visited for Castiel's birthday.

"Oh, baby...I'm so glad you're safe!" She cried, "I'm so sorry about Michael, honey."

"Don't worry, Mom..." He whispered, "He's had his comeuppance. His lover left him too."

Anna stroked her son's cheek as a stray tear just slid down his face, and as she gently rubbed his back, they started to unload his belongings. Zachariah appeared on the porch steps and made his way down to them, doing something he only ever did when something very good or very bad happened. He pulled his son into a loving hug and held him for several minutes, telling him how good it was to see him and how glad they were he was back, that things were going to get better. And for the first time since his teenage years, Castiel held onto his father and cried.

* * *

"I'll be back soon." Castiel said to his parents as he entered the kitchen shyly, camera around his neck, "I need some inspiration for new colour schemes and patterns. I might as well make some more sketches for my portfolios while I'm here, and take some photographs to help me get some inspiration."

"Good idea, son." Zachariah said with a smile, "It'll take your mind off of what's happened."

Castiel looked to the floor and nodded sadly, saying his goodbyes and making his way out of the door. His old room hadn't changed in the least. His walls were still that beautiful shade of blue, his desk was clean and pristine, bed made up with his favourite sheets...He'd set up his drafting table in the old spot in the bay window which meant he had a great view when working, his keyboard was set up and ready, all his clothes were back in the closet...Everything was the way it was again just before he left. Home felt just like it had all those years ago.

Heading out of the door, he headed straight for the park he used to visit when he was a kid, and wasted no time in taking pictures. He was planning to fill his scrapbooks and portfolios so that he could get better inspiration when he went to do jobs for people. As he took a picture of the fountain, just because it looked pretty, something else caught his eye. An old leather jacket. There was only one person he knew who had that jacket. Only one person who'd be stubborn enough to not get a new one.

He looked up slowly, almost frightened, to see a pair of striking green eyes staring in his direction. Swallowing thickly, he saw the expression on the other man's face. It matched his own. Utter disbelief and shock.

"Cas?"

"Dean?"

-TBC-

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Thanks for reading so far!  
**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
**


End file.
